Tips for Achieving Professional Looking Topstitching

One detail that really elevates your sewing job is topstitching. Straight, tidy stitches that highlight style lines and features and reinforce high-stress areas are the hallmark of well-made, durable clothing. Even while there can be a lot at risk (think contrast topstitching on jeans), there are a few pointers and techniques that can essentially ensure flawless topstitching each and every time. Now let’s investigate it!

What Is Topstitching?

Any stitching on your clothing that is intended to be seen is known as topstitching. It could be strictly ornamental (to draw attention to specific design elements), practical (to strengthen and stabilize seams), or a mix of the two. Topstitching is often done with a straight stitch, but you may also use your machine’s decorative stitches to give your products more depth and character. For further decoration, while you topstitch, pay attention to the style lines of your pattern. Which areas of the clothing do you want to draw attention to?

The majority of the topstitching on heavy-duty clothing, such as workwear and jeans, is utilitarian. It guarantees that the item can resist washing and heavy use and helps reinforce seams in high-stress places. For more information, see this article. Flat fall seams are an enclosed seam finish that require topstitching to be completed.

For topstitching suggestions, follow the pattern’s directions; but, as you get more proficient and confident, feel free to add your own! Contrast stitching along seam lines may often elevate a simple profile, and playing with tone-on-tone versus contrast thread can have a significant impact on the finished result.

Marking Your Topstitching And Using Guides

If the topstitching guidance are included with your design, just use a detachable pen or chalk to trace the guide onto your cloth and sew along it! This is the most reliable approach to guarantee perfection if you’re new to topstitching or if the topstitching is in a highly visible region. To make this procedure easier for you, we frequently give recommendations for places such as a fly front.

You can utilize a machine guide, such as the needle plate on the machine bed or the sewing machine foot, to avoid having to sketch in your lines. Decide how far away the line is from the seam or stitch, for example, 1/8″ or 1/4″ away before beginning. After that, experiment on your computer until you find the best configuration.

Here are a few methods for achieving equal stitches with machine guides:

• Center the seam line on your needle and adjust it to the necessary amount to sew tight distances (such as 1/8″ away from a seam line); just be sure your needle plate can take a displaced needle.
• Use your machine feet as a guide instead for larger distances. For 1/4″ wide topstitching lines, a 1/4″ foot is quite useful. However, most bigger feet also contain markings that you can use to align with your seamline or stitch line.
• Use masking tape to mark bigger intervals on your machine’s bed, or consult the markings on the needle plate for distances of at least 1/2″. For an even wider guide, you can alternatively use the long, thin metal shank that comes with the majority of walking feet.

Topstitching Thread Tips

• Select the appropriate weight for your undertaking. To topstitch heavier fabrics such as canvas or denim, use a heavier thread made for that purpose. You can continue using an all-purpose polyester thread on textiles that are lighter in weight.
• Depending on how much you want it to contrast and how confident you are, choose the thread color and weight! For a slight contrast, use a thread that is one shade darker or the same color as the fabric, but not too light. For a striking topstitch, use a thicker thread in a contrasting shade.
• Depending on the fabric, choose the thread fiber content. Stretch and strength are provided by polyester thread while stitching knits and woven fabrics. In some cases, cotton topstitching thread can be used, but bear in mind that frequent washings will shorten its lifespan.
• A simple tip: For more noticeable stitching, thread two regular-weight threads through the needle eye. A larger-eye needle, like a topstitching needle, might be needed for this. A second spool to hold the second thread will also be required.
• Use ordinary thread (in a coordinating color) in your bobbin only if you are sewing with topstitching thread. It prevents tangled threads, lessens bulk, and improves tension. This restriction does not apply if you are sewing on an industrial machine, as these machines are made to handle heavy-duty thread in the bobbin as well.
• Try using bar tacks with ordinary thread! Try using a complementing or contrast thread in a finer weight for these stitches as it can be difficult, depending on your machine, to achieve lovely bar tacks with topstitching thread.
• Try using cording to add more dimension! For a really polished effect, zigzag across narrow cotton cording with a fine thread. This treatment is very beneficial for buttonholes on coats and jeans.

Needles For Topstitching

To achieve the finest results while topstitching, always use a new needle!

• Longer eyes on topstitching needles allow for thicker threads to be used.
• Designed to fit decorative threads, embroidery needles are suitable for use on most knits and woven fabrics.
• On the right side of the fabric, twin or double needles are used to make two parallel rows of straight stitching; the zigzag stitch underneath provides mechanical stretch to this stitch. This needle gives an extremely polished look and is made for hemming knits.
• Stretch/jersey ballpoint needles come in various weights based on the thickness of your knit and are made to slide between knit loops. For most projects, we prefer using these universal ones.
• Denim needles are made to pierce through extremely dense textiles. When topstitching jeans, we use these Organ needles in a size 16/100.
• The most often used type of needles, universal needles, work well in a variety of situations. It works on most fabrics as long as the thread can pass through.

Also Read: Decorative Stitch Ideas for Beginners: Adding Flair to Your Projects

Machine Feet For Topstitching

• If you have an edge-stitching or stitch-in-the-ditch foot—a presser foot with a vertical guiding blade—use it. To achieve exactly equal stitch lines at a constant distance from the seam, slide the needle to one side so that the guide coincides with the seam edge.
• Accuracy is improved with presser feet with fixed or movable vertical guides.
• There is a guidance on the right for a 1/4 inch patchwork foot. Given that the typical spacing between topstitching lines on jeans and pockets is 1/4″, this could potentially be a wise purchase! This would be a useful foot to have in that arrangement if you are topstitching on a different machine, which is a lovely choice if you have one.
• For sewing knits or highly bulky materials with lots of layers, such as quilting, a walking foot works well.

Stitch Length And Tension Tips

Before you begin sewing, check and adjust the tension. Proper thread tension is essential for producing sturdy, well-formed stitches. Usually, heavier thread calls for more needle tension. Work on a scrap until you get neat, uniform stitching lines. If you experience difficulties with tension, don’t forget to change to ordinary thread in the bobbin.

Although they can be more challenging in tight spaces, longer stitch lengths facilitate the creation of smooth, even stitches. An ideal length for all purposes is a stitch length of 2.5–3. When sewing thicker threads and materials, increase it to 3.5–4, but remember that making longer stitches around corners can be challenging.

Perfect Topstitching Tips

• As you get experience, begin topstitching the less noticeable parts of the clothing.
• If the instructions don’t specify it, avoid backstitching at the beginning and end. Most topstitch starts and stops will end up caught in a seam. Should you need to begin or end your topstitching in a conspicuous spot, minimize your backstitching, cover the beginning with a bar tack, or drag the threads to the back and tie them off to totally hide them.
• You can either tie off and clip the thread, or leave a long tail and manually stitch it back into the seam.
• For a neat finish, try to topstitch every seam in one pass; starting and stopping in a visible spot doesn’t look good. Tie a knot with the threads you pulled to the back where you stopped sewing, if necessary. For an almost smooth line, begin sewing exactly next to this stitch (do not backstitch). When the stitch line is complete, go back and tie the threads from where you began.
• Sew all parallel topstitching lines at once to prevent puckering or rippling and to maintain a smooth finish.
• see at the cloth at the guide instead of the needle, whether you’re using a foot guide or one on the machine bed. As I like to remind my sewing students, see where you’re going, not where you’ve been.
• Try to stitch steadily and slowly. Go slowly when using the gas! As you approach bends and as you take off and land (so to speak), feel free to utilize the wheel and move very slowly.
• As you pivot your sewing, keep the needle down to keep everything in place.
• To any regions that are moving, apply tear-away stabilizer. For more delicate textiles that are difficult to lie flat, tools like glue sticks and temporary adhesives come in handy.

Tips For Topstitching Heavy-duty Fabrics

• Always topstitch through as many layers on a scrap of fabric as you plan to stitch your seams on.
• Sew slowly, especially if you’re sewing through several layers, and use the hand wheel to provide you more control.
• When sewing a large seam, use a hump jumper to keep the presser foot level and prevent skipped stitches.
• Things may get thick when stitching jeans! Try lightly hammering the places where layers 4 and 5 meet if you’re having problems. Place the layers between two towels so as not to leave any marks on the fabric.
• Practice, practice, and more practice!
• Try out these 33 back pocket designs on your next pair of jeans! And once you’ve designed them, check out this post for ideas on where to put those pockets!

Final Thoughts

And lastly, don’t forget to take notes after picking up all these new skills! Develop the practice of documenting all the settings and actions you used to reach the desired outcome while conducting these kinds of studies using novel or rarely used techniques. In this manner, you will have learned from your mistakes and be prepared for your next assignment!